The One He Truly Fears
by Forever Free Evergreen
Summary: He could take on Orgetails, Kongous, even a pack of Vajra without fear. Now an angry and upset Russian New-Type on the otherhand...that was another matter entirely. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own God Eater just the words below._

…

"Home sweet home…" Yuu sighed as he stepped through the doorway into his quarters. He would take the dull cream colours of his predecessor's abode over the sterile white ceiling he had been getting fed up of seeing over the past few days.

True, it had been his own fault for earning a free bed and breakfast in the infirmary due to his, as a couple of his fellow squad members would call it, stupid selfless attitude but he could not help it if it was in his nature to do something when others were in peril. It sure as heck beat searching for a replacement God Eater for 1st Unit or a God Arc Engineer with even half the knowledge Licca had accumulated.

Now that he was back in his own place, all Yuu had to do now was wait for his God Arc to be repaired so that he could be registered back onto active duty, endure Kota's Bugarally collection marathon for saving the Old-Type's life at the cost of his God Arc and… _her_.

A shiver of fear ran up Yuu's spine at the thought of facing that person. He could tackle a heard of Ogretails or even a pack of Vajra and fight on with ease but, against an angry and upset Russian New-Type female, especially if she were specifically angry and upset with him for some reason, then Yuu Kannagi, the rising New-Type and leader of 1st Unit, would rather take on several Fallen Ouroboros single handedly than face the girl's wrath. Now thinking upon it, perhaps it would have been better to remain in the infirmary until after she had visited and given him a beating even a Fierce Kongou would pale to rival.

It was at that moment that a sharp knocking could be heard coming from his door causing Yuu to momentarily forget to breath. Part of him wanted to remain silent and pretend that he was not in but his logical side pointed out to him that, should he just plain ignore her then she would just be even more volatile the next time they were face to face. Thus, with heavy heart, Yuu had no choice but to get it over and done with and pray that she did not send him back to the infirmary.

"Door's open!" He called out mentally steeling himself for what was to come as Alisa Amiella stepped inside and made her way towards him.

It took all Yuu had not to break out in a cold sweat as Alisa stared coolly back at him her face showing not a hint of what was running through her mind, what she was thinking right now or even what she planned to do to him. If she were to know how to play poker, Yuu reckoned Alisa could have fleeced everyone dry of rations and anything else she might have wanted.

Finally, she spoke.

"If you're expecting me to scold you, then you'll be disappointed." She told him frowning as it clearly looked like she wanted to punish Yuu for his foolish actions. "Kota told me that you were bound to do something like this as it wouldn't be in your nature to just sit around while Aragami ran amuck inside the East Branch."

The tension constricting Yuu faded as he breathed a sigh of relief. Now he really had to thank Kota for saving his skin and that Bugarally marathon would only be the start of it. Those were the thoughts running through Yuu's mind before it happened.

Too caught off-guard by her words, Yuu failed to notice Alisa's left hand spear towards his face with enough speed and strength that it not only sent him facing the opposite direction but even knocked him off-balance before the pain of the slap finally registered in his mind.

"Bu-But you said-" Yuu tried to speak as he turned round to face Alisa only have Alisa's right hand make contact with the other side of his face.

"It wouldn't have hurt as much if you knew it was coming!" Alisa snapped back as she watched Yuu collapse to the ground as her one-two combo played havoc on his equilibrium. "Honestly, _Leader_ , do you ever actually think of what you are doing or the consequences of your actions whenever you do something like this?!"

Yuu could only groan in response as he got into a sitting position his ears ringing loudly after that second blow. Even knowing this would happen paled in comparison to feeling it once again. He had learned the hard way how volatile Alisa could be when he had once accidentally entered her quarters when she was in the midst of changing and glad that all she had done was throw an empty cup at him albeit catching him right in the forehead with enough force to knock him clear out of the room before he could even begin to apologise.

"Are you listening to me, _Leader_!" Alisa called out to him.

Blinking his blurred sight back into focus, Yuu looked up to see Alisa now standing above him her once cute face now red and scrunched up in anger and sadness. He nearly gulped when he realised that what he had just experienced was the warm-up and she was now about to really unleashed hell upon him.

Without as much as a warning, Alisa pounced on him pinning him in place as she slapped, scratched and punched any part of his body he could not defend while berating him in a mixture of Japanese and Russian that was too intertwined for him to make any sense of. Knowing that she was bound to actually cause serious harm to him sooner or later, Yuu somehow managed get his arms around the irate Russian and hugged her tightly against him effectively pinning her arms against their two bodies.

With her arms now constricted, Yuu half wondered if Alisa would now resort to biting as she buried her face into his shoulder only to finally realise that she had used up all her pent up frustration and was now letting out the other emotion he was well familiar with concerning the Russian.

"Why…" She mumbled into his shoulder barely audible enough for Yuu to hear. "Why do you keep doing this? Don't you know how terrified I feel whenever I hear you're in the infirmary?"

Yuu was speechless as he felt Alisa's arms, arms that had momentarily ago attempt pummeling him to within an inch of his life, slipped free of their prison to wrap round his middle clinging to him in such a way it practically screamed "don't leave me" to him. More surprising was the sudden wetness he was feeling on his shoulder indicating Alisa was freely crying also. He had seen her shed tears before, lending her his shoulder for that time also, but that was the only other time he had seen her weep to his knowledge at least.

Slightly relinquishing his hold on her, Yuu moved one arm so that it was wrapped more comfortably round Alisa's waist while moving his free arm higher so that it encircled her shoulders and stroke her hair in a relaxing manner just like he had done when she was the one stuck in the infirmary after that one mission that would forever be embedded in 1st Unit's memories.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered softly into her ear as she shuddered against him.

He knew a lot of people relied on him, something that was constantly growing and weighing down on him as he rose the ranks of the Fenrir Far East Branch, but had no idea just how important he was to some people like Alisa which he foolishly should have realised given how much he had done to help her get back on her feet and just generally be there of her when she was being ridiculed and accused of being the one responsible for Lindow's death the very man whose shoes Yuu now filled.

" _Leader…_ " Alisa sniffled finally pulling her face away from Yuu's shoulder revealing her red and puffy face to the 1st Unit leader. "I know you can't promise to stop doing this sort of thing but…Can you at least promise to come back alive?"

"That's…kinda just as hard to keep, Alisa." Yuu replied feeling himself wilting under her teary gaze.

Being a God Eater was bad enough, with a life expectancy usually making it into late thirties or early forties at a stretch, but when you were in the 1st Unit, unlike most of the other Units who protected the Far East Branch and Outer Ghetto, you ran the risk of not returning whether by their own will, stretcher or body bag.

"I know, but…" Alisa paused her face turning a brighter shade of red for some reason. "You're important to us, _Leader_ …to me…"

Sighing in slight frustration at the girl's stubbornness, as well as her English nickname for him that the others had started calling him also after a while, Yuu leaned in so that their foreheads were now pressed together leading to a deeper shade of red flushing Alisa's cheeks.

"Listen, Alisa. I can't really promise you anything like what you're wanting." He told the girl causing her face to look crest fallen as her grip on him loosened. "But I can promise that I won't run away from living if that's what you fear. Will that be okay?"

He was expecting maybe a teary smile perhaps even a nod of the head. What Yuu was not expecting was for Alisa to suddenly wrap her arms round his neck in a bone breaking hug while also kissing him full on the lips. Apparently, Alisa had not quite realised what she had done also for just as soon as she had kissed him she was off of Yuu pushing off with such force that his head ricocheted off the floor adding to the list of injuries she had given in the span of a few minutes.

"I…suppose I can accept that. I'll just…leave you now… _Leader_ " Alisa muttered hesitantly quickly disappearing through the doorway and towards her own quarters before anyone saw her beet red features.

Picking himself up from being once again sent to the floor, Yuu half wonder what the hell just happened while the other half wondering if he could get a few things out of Alisa in return: such as a promise to the lessening of her beatings and maybe an answer to why she called him the English equivalent of taicho instead of just his name like everyone else.

…

Review if possible & until next time

Watch this space & peace out!


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer Is on chapter one._

…

Throughout her journey through the hallways and elevator towards her own quarters, the words idiot and stupid echoed inside Alisa's head in both Japanese and Russian although this time aimed at herself rather than _Leader_ as was the normal case after he pulled one his selfless stunts that left him as the injured party. For so long now, she had kept these feelings for the 1st Unit commander at bay only to unwittingly launch herself at him just because he promised her he would not throw his life away.

While it was a miracle in itself that she managed to get from _Leader's_ quarters to her own without running into anyone, literally and metaphorically, while her mind was in turmoil, Alisa soon found herself hitting a wall in the form of 1st Unit's second in command and sending both of them stumbling backwards with startled squeaks.

"Alisa?! What are you-"

Before Sakuya could finish asking what the Russian New-Type was doing, or even why she seemed so out of it before they collided, the sniper medic suddenly found her wrist in Alisa's firm grasp and dragged along the corridor to the younger girl's quarters without so much as a word or askance. Only once the two were inside and the door securely locked, did Alisa finally let go of Sakuya's wrist allowing the woman to quickly check to see if it had been bruised after being held in her crushing grasp as she took a seat amongst all the scattered articles of clothing that seemed to take up most of the sitting space.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" Sakuya asked kindly while mentally trying to figure out the cause as to why the normally strong New-Type was all red and quiet.

Out of all the God Eaters, she highly doubted Kota was to blame. Even though Alisa did treat him poorly at times, if just out of habit, there was no way the Bugarally fan would dare do something in fear of her wrath. Soma was quickly scratched off the list as he still kept to himself despite being more open with everyone than he once was. She got on pretty well with most of the Defense Corps so Sakuya could not pin any of them. That left only one person.

"I went to visit _Leader_." Alisa mumbled while fidgeting with the hem of her skirt from her seat across from her friend.

Mentally, Sakuya slapped herself for not realising the most obvious of answers. It was no secret that the platinum blonde before her harboured feelings for _Leader_ , known to everyone else as Yuu Kannagi, even if she was trying her hardest to hide the fact. Almost any girl would probably be smitten with him and would even have confessed to the guy if they were in Alisa's shoes. That still did not explain why she was in such a state however.

"You two didn't have a fight, did you?" Sakuya asked cautiously breathing a quiet sigh of relief when Alisa shook her head furiously. "Then what happened?"

For a moment, Alisa just sat there staring at her hands while contemplating what she should tell Sakuya who patiently awaited her reply. Unsure of what to say, or even how to say it, the Russian New-Type decided to to get it over with and admit everything in one fell swoop. Literally.

"When I went to see _Leader_ , I slapped him several times then scolded him for being so idiotic and selfless while hitting him some more before crying against him before begging him to promise not to leave me like my parents did to which he told me that he would never give up on living while holding me close and I sort of got lost in the moment and kissed him before up and leaving him on the floor before I ran into you!" Alisa blurted out in one breath leaving her gasping for air while red in the face for being able to finally, sort of, admit to someone that she had feelings for someone.

Sakuya could only blink at Alisa having not expected such an answer in five seconds or less. The surprise soon subsided and Sakuya suddenly found herself holding in her amusement upon realising that Alisa had finally, albeit in a strange yet somewhat romantic way, confessed to Yuu although by the sound of things, she had yet to actually tell the poor guy the true extent of her feelings for him having fled in panic after their first kiss.

As such, the older female, despite once being in a relationship herself, did not know whether to congratulate Alisa or encourage her to go tell Yuu that she loved him- probably at a later date such as tomorrow seeing as the poor guy was probably in the midst of recovering from another beat down even if it was from a human and not an Aragami for once.

"Well, at least it's a start." She consoled the profusely blushing girl whose face was now hidden by her hair and cap. "All you need to do now is tell him and-"

"I don't like him!" Alisa muttered suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Sakuya asked both concerned and confused by the sudden change in the girl.

"I'm saying that I don't love _Leader_ and even if I did, I am not going to tell him!" Alisa spoke up her voice sounding cold and detached while the look in her eyes and body language told Sakuya that the girl was hurting herself, fighting against herself even, just by voicing those words.

For the life in her, Sakuya could not understand what Alisa was going on about. Most girls would be caught up in a mixture of excitement and nervousness over confessing their love or experiencing their first kiss with their crush. Alisa, on the other hand, appeared to be conflicted between her heart and body wanting to be with Yuu whereas her mind was completely against it. No matter how Sakuya looked at it, it just did not make sense. With the job they had, the sooner they got together would be better than what she had lost when Lindow had died.

No sooner had that trail of thought passed through her head, Sakuya felt a cold chill run down her back as she realised a sudden possibility as to why Alisa was acting like this.

"Alisa...Are you _punishing_ yourself?" Sakuya asked with bated breath.

When Alisa failed to reply, although the colour draining from her face spoke volumes, it was all Sakuya needed to see the whole picture. It actually explained a lot, from the rather work related nickname to the stern lectures she gave Yuu whenever he messed up, or rather when he ended up getting messed up, Alisa had not been playing hard to get like what most of the branch thought but rather trying to force a wedge between herself and Yuu in an attempt to prevent any romantic feelings from blossoming between them. It might have even worked had all those bottled up feelings for her fellow New-Type finally burst free in that one moment.

"I figured it was the only way I could repent for what I took from you." Alisa eventually spoke up sounding tired and weak as if keeping up her charade had drained her of her usual pep and vitality. "I know you said you forgave me but, I just can't help but feel like I've yet to atone for what's happened."

Sakuya would be lying if she said she truly understood what Alisa. Even six months later and with visual confirmation, she was still trying to get over Lindow's death herself to say nothing of what inner turmoil Alisa was going through having been used by the former director to get rid of the man she loved.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Sakuya asked knowing full well that both Yuu and herself would have gladly done what they could to help her through her troubles without hesitance.

"Sure, speak to the two people my problems are about." Alisa dryly chuckled apparently thinking along similar lines causing Sakuya to giggle herself at realising the irony of what she had just asked. "Besides, after the way I've been acting, I highly doubt _Leader_ sees me as nothing more than a bully or something."

In her mind, with that slip up aside, Alisa doubted that _Leader_ would ever have any romantic feelings for her. Sure, he had helped her greatly in her time of need, but that was only due to his personality probably coupled with some unspoken compelling to help out a fellow New-Type nothing more.

Hearing a suppressed snigger emanating from her fellow God Eater, Alisa looked up from to stare questioningly at Sakuya who looked to be trying hold in her amusement at something unforeseen by herself.

"Sorry. I just couldn't help it." Sakuya explained once she finally collected herself. "Hearing you say that just proves that he is better at hiding things than you are."

"What do you mean?" Alisa asked subconsciously leaning closer towards Sakuya.

"Well, Yuu may not look it, might not even know it for that matter, but that man cares quite a bit about you, Alisa." Sakuya explained to the confused girl.

"What do you mean by that?" Alisa asked in confusion. How could someone love someone else without noticing?

Once more, Sakuya had to force down the amusement bubbling up inside of her at how oblivious Alisa is when it came to observing her crush.

"Well, after becoming a God Eater, Yuu was quite the workaholic, always surpassing the expectations of everyone and earning quite the reputation, as I'm sure you're aware." Sakuya explained to Alisa who merely nodded not wanting to interrupt the story. "Unfortunately, due to his promotion to leader of 1st Unit among other things, all Yuu has done is dive even more into his duties not at all helped by the solo missions the former Director gave him."

Alisa bit back the groan as she understood where this was going. The more accomplishments and achievements _Leader_ gained, the more pressure his peers along with those who looked up to him was put on his shoulders. If he failed or just wanted to give up he would be disappointing one or the other forcing him to keep on going which was bound to end up not at all well for him when he could no longer live up to his ever growing legend.

"That's where you come in, Alisa." Sakuya spoke up snapping the Russian from her thoughts.

" _Me_?" Alisa squeaked in confusion. "Um...Did I missed something? How could I…?"

"Because you're treating him like he's just another person. You don't care at all about what he's achieved and not at all hesitant to tell him off and even prod him when a verbal telling off isn't working- which seems to be a lot these last few weeks." Sakuya added and was rewarded with the Russian's cheeks getting a rosy hue again. "He might look frightened of you when angry but that hasn't stopped him from caring about you- he may be good at hiding it, but his shoulders sag in relief when he sees you return from the field unharmed. And deep down, I'm pretty sure he reciprocates those feelings you have for him, Alisa."

"You really think so?" Alisa whispered sounding hopeful before remembering something Sakuya had said earlier. "What do you mean when you say _Leader's_ better than hiding things than me?"

Sakuya paused as she tried to figure out how best to break it to Alisa that at least half of the Den knew she had a crush on Yuu. There was definitely no way she was going to tell her that she had overheard Doctor Sakaki commenting on how Compatible an offspring of two New-Types could be that one time after spotting the two having one of their 'spats' as some of the branch had dubbed it.

"Let's just say people are thinking you're playing hard to get." Sakuya said causing Alisa's face to flush beet red before she grabbed a cushion and buried her face in it. "At least it will help."

"What do you mean? How will it help? And with what?" Alisa's muffled voice could be heard around the cushion.

"Well, those who play hard to get eventually start to give in to their heart's desire. Seeing you become more friendly with Yuu and helping him forget his troubles, that's bound to be better than explaining to everyone what you were really doing, wouldn't it?" Sakuya pointed out.

Alisa merely grumbled into the cushion too embarrassed to show her face to vocally agree with Sakuya.

"Do you really think _Leader_ will let me in? Even after all the scolding I gave him?" Alisa asked her heart still clouded in doubt despite what Sakuya had told her.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself, Alisa." Sakuya confessed as she stood up and headed towards the door. She had told Yuu several times herself not to push himself way back when. To try and help the teen out now would more likely cause more damage between him, herself and Alisa although the gossip mill would really weave a tale should that happen. "Just be honest with him and yourself and see where things take you."

Alisa merely nodded vaguely hearing the door to her room open and close as Sakuya departed for her own abode. Finally prying her face from the cushion, the Russian New-Type leaned back against the couch as her mind wandered to a certain fellow New-Type as she tried to figure out if it really was okay to fall in love despite having denied her friend the chance of being in love as well…

…

 _It was supposed to be a simple one off but somehow things just kept rolling with this one. Since several reviews have asked, I figured I might as well continue. Who knows, this might help cure my writer's block & help me get back to some of my other fics._

 _Okay, ranting aside, review if possible & until next time_

 _Watch this space & peace out!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer is on Chapter 1_

…

Boredom never sat well with Yuu, the feeling of doing nothing while others were out there risking their lives for those still alive out there in the Aragami infested world just ate away at him like a guilty conscience. While he did allow himself time to rest up and get his God Arc repaired- although Licca would probably argue with him about that- he would take up mission after mission regardless of difficulty or whether he was part of a team or just plain solo.

Maybe he should have listened to Sakuya and Lindow when they told him to take it easy and take up a hobby. Perhaps then he would not be having to take several new New-Type God Eaters from different continents and show them how to fully utilise their New-Type abilities. Then again, even if he were not off duty, Major Amamiya would likely relieve him of active duty for a few days for this job anyways given how he was the first New-Type and had already done some tutoring for Alisa which had upped his reputation greatly to his surprise.

Speaking of the Russian New-Type, Yuu could not help but wonder if the girl was sending him mixed messages. At times she was her old icy, arrogant self then the very next day would be the role model for team player. Then there were the times when she was all sad and melancholy wanting nothing more than someone to offer a shoulder to cry on then pull a complete one-eighty and be all angry at him for nearly no apparent reason other for being reckless while on a mission yet would be his most frequent visitor whenever his 'recklessness' sended him to the infirmary for an extended period of time- It had only happened to him three times before the Hannibal incident but every time he had woken up he would see Alisa sitting at his bedside only to suddenly snap at him before stomping off.

And then there was last night. In Yuu's eyes, Alisa had been all over the place going from cold and stern to weepy and broken then finishing it off by kissing him then running off like she had just committed a crime and wanted to be anywhere near ground zero. It was like she had been trying to say something to him then hid it behind a cold facade- a facade that really scared him especially when she was in one of her tempers.

Mentally shaking his head while making a memo to confront Alisa later on about her behaviour, preferably when she was in a good mood, Yuu lead the two rookie New-Types towards the training facilities. There was supposed to have been a third, a black haired kid named Ren, but he had disappeared the moment he had looked away so he was going to have to track him down later on- he did owe the kid for saving his life so he reckoned letting him off would make them even.

As the doors to the training facility hissed open, Yuu turned round to tell the two rookies to get ready only to freeze up slightly when he realised his little group had been followed closely by a fellow New-Type and was now staring at him crossly with arms crossed and a temper most likely coming to boil if he read her eyes correctly.

"Isn't your Arc still getting repaired, _Leader_?" Alisa inquired politely although Yuu could easily hear the anger laced into her words informing him that she was still upset with him for reasons he was still trying to figure out.

"It is but it isn't stopping Tsubaki from giving me a job to do." Yuu managed to reply calmly gesturing to the rookies. "This is Annette Koenig and Federico Caruso. Two New-Types that have been transferred to 2nd and 3rd Units from other Branches for the time being."

Yuu could not be properly sure but he could have sworn Alisa seemed to reel backwards when he told her they were New-Types just like her. Not in the literal sense, although he would not blame her if she did when the rookes saluted to her in hello, but more like mentally as if seeing another New-Type other than himself was reminding her of her time as a rookie.

"I...see." Alisa acknowledged almost hesitantly at first before becoming all stern again. "Well then, I hope you do not teach them how to be suicidal like a certain other New-Type tends to act regardless of whether he is on-duty or off."

If words were weapons, Yuu reckoned Alisa's statement had just stabbed him right where it hurt the most. And with his body still sore from last night, there were plenty of sore spots for her to choose from without making a fresh wound. As he recovered from her verbal assault, a lightbulb flicked on inside his head how to appease Alisa while still teaching Annette and Federico.

"Actually, you showing up is great timing." He said gaining a look of confusion from the Russian. "Because I can't use my own God Arc, I won't really be able to show these two how to properly use blade and gun forms. If you were to go with them, they'll be able to understand things much better."

He did not think it was possible but Yuu swore Alisa's normally pale complexion went even paler. Realising this was going to take a bit more prompting, Yuu told the two rookies to go off and get their God Arcs from Licca while he talked to her for a bit. While the two gave him confused looks, they were supposed to be using the training Arcs for this exercise after all, both Annette and Federico headed off leaving Yuu to the perils of Alisa who immediately grabbed his shirt in a threatening way the moment they disappeared around the corner.

"Are you crazy?! There's no way I can teach them anything!" Alisa hissed her face full of anger while her eyes were full of fear.

Swallowing his fear and heart before both jumped up his throat, Yuu calmly pried Alisa's hands from his shirt and held them as he looked at her whose cheeks suddenly began to turn red as she wilted under his gaze. It never failed to amaze him how quickly her mood changed when she was with him and this was no exception.

"You said you don't want them to turn into clones of me, right? Well, this is your chance to show them the proper way to be a New-Type God Eater." Yuu told her.

"But I'm not a proper God Eater!" Alisa whispered lowering her gaze. "I was just a train wrecked, labrat, tool used to-."

"Alisa!" Yuu cut over her causing Alisa to hiccup at his tone. "Alisa, look at me. Please."

Slowly, the girl raised her head allowing him to see her watery eyes. He never did like it when she was like this. It always made him feel like he had not been able to help her when she really needed it.

"Listen to me, Alisa. You're not weak. You're not someone's labrat. And you're definitely a better God Eater in my eyes than what you might think of yourself." Yuu told her firmly causing the girl to blush profusely at his praise. "And don't go thinking I haven't heard of your accomplishments. Sakuya and HIbari have been keeping me up to speed on what you've been doing out on the field."

Now the red blush deepened causing Alisa to look down at her feet again forcing him to gently grab her chin and lift it so that they were seeing eye to eye again.

"You can do this. Just teach them what I taught you and you'll do fine." He assured her softly.

Yuu was holding his breath as he watched Alisa think it over before finally nodding her head in acceptance.

"Very well. Seeing as it's _Leader_ , I suppose I could help out." She muttered reminding Yuu of when she came to him asking for help getting back on her feet. "However…"

Before Yuu could ask, Alisa reached and grabbed hold of his shirt again and roughly pulled him closer so that they were nose to nose.

"If you want to keep your nose intact, keep it out of my business unless we're partnered up!" Alisa warned darkly.

"Yes, ma'am." Yuu weakly replied suddenly fearing for his life as he stared into Alisa's cold, hard eyes.

Looking appeased at his agreement to her demand, Alisa let go of his shirt and smoothed it out, much to Yuu's surprise, before walking off to collect her own Arc leaving the 1st Unit leader to recover himself before she or the rookies returned for the training session.

"She's sure come a long way from when she first got here."

Yuu nodded in agreement as he watched Alisa round the corner before quickly looking round to the speculator and wondering why he had never noticed the golden eyed New-Type until now.

"How long have you been there?" Yuu asked Ren while also wondering when he had even showed up. The kid was an even bigger enigma than Alisa yet for some strange reason he reminded Yuu of someone.

"I just arrived actually. I somehow got off on the wrong floor." Ren apologised. "Is it okay if I ask you something? It's been puzzling me since I got here"

"Uh, sure?" Yuu replied with a confused looked.

"I'm curious about why you initially helped out Alisa. Is it because you're both New-Types or your promise to Lindow to look out for her?" Ren inquired curiously.

Curiously, Yuu was suddenly aware of how warm it was in the corridor.

…

"I suppose that could have gone better." Alisa sighed as she stepped out of the lift and entered the armory. "Although...maybe I shouldn't have said that to him at the end…"

When she had spotted _Leader_ with those rookies, she had not expected the man to rope her into his plans for the day when she decided to tail him. She was actually going to inquire into what he was doing this evening then leave him to it but found it impossible to say no to his request even pointing out her own terrible history not expecting him to turn the tides against her along with turning her insides to mush with his genuine praise. Then she just had to lash out and ruin the moment.

Maybe they were was some truth to those rumors making the rounds about her playing...what was it they called it? 'hard to get' or something? Well, whatever it was, she reckoned they were maybe half right. But only because it was a force of habit for her whenever it looked like she was getting more than chummy with Leader. At least it was a start. Sort of.

"Hey, Alisa." Licca called out to the New-Type when she spotted her. "Your God Arc's all ready to go."

Alisa blinked in surprise. How could Licca have known she was coming to collect her Arc when she only just got in the door? A silly question it may sound but sometimes God Eaters came down to the armory for reasons other than to collect their God Arcs for missions. Even Tsubaki visited on occasion just to reminisce.

"The rookies here said you were gonna be teaching them since Yuu's incapable of showing them the ropes." Licca explained gesturing to Annette and Federico who were off to the side sporting their own God Arcs.

"You make it sound like I came in and just took the task from his hands without his askance." Alisa huffed narrowing her eyes at Licca and the rookies.

"Well, I wouldn't put it passed you if the setting was right." Licca joked. "Besides, I bet he asked you and you said yes against your will, right?"

A 'harumph' and glare in response was all the answer Licca needed to cover the snicker escaping her lips behind a gloved hand. Not wanting to properly reply to the mechanic's teasing, Alisa marched over to her God Arc's holding tank and picked it up.

"You two, come with me." Alisa ordered of Annette and Federico as she marched passed them.

Not wanting to anger their superior, the two rookies quickly followed after Alisa who was walking at such a clip they almost missed the elevator.

"I'll say this now before _Leader_ starts filling your head with his methods. While you may be getting taught by both _Leader_ and myself, remember that you are your own person and therefore you have your own way of doing things. Whether you prefer being a vanguard or a shield is entirely up to you. Got it?" Alisa asked them.

"Yes, ma'am!" Annette and Federico replied instantly.

Nodding at the two in satisfaction, Alisa could not help but inwardly smile as she remembered her own training with _Leader_. He had told her the exact same thing she had just told them and was now wondering if she could surpass the expectations he had for her in this particular task. Not that she assumed that he had expectations for her doing this. She did not know if he had intended for this to happen or if it had been a spur of the moment decision. Whatever the case, perhaps she could use this to her advantage somehow. He did now owe her one by the looks of things.

"Um, can I ask you something, ma'am?" Annette spoke up suddenly as the elevator arrived on their floor. "About why you call Corporal Kannagi..'Leedher' was it?"

"What about it?" Alisa asked making sure to keep facing ahead so as to not show Annette of Federico her reddening cheeks.

"Why do you call him that? That's not Japanese."

"It's English. And it's to remind me that he's better than me and, until I surpass him, that is what I call him." Alisa replied quickly before vacating the lift leaving the two rookies to stare after her.

"And you thought it was her 'pet nickname' for him." Federico commented quietly.

"Oh, shut up. There's something between those two." Annette replied heatedly. "She's definitely got that air of a...what's Japanese for 'hard to get' again?"

"Tsundere." Federico supplied as he stepped out the lift. "You were still wrong about the nickname though."

Annette huffed as she followed after her fellow rookie.

…

 _Review if possible & until next time_

 _Watch this space & peace out_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer is on chapter 1_

 _After doing nothing but helping out other authors or just plain old lounging around playing Destiny, God Eater Burst etc, etc, I have finally decided to throw the dust & writer's block off myself & get some fics updated before the year is out. Apologies however as, from lack of proper writing, these updates may be shorter &/or rushed than the story's usual quota._

…

Stepping out of the training facility, Alisa let out a huge sigh of relief that it was now over.

She had spent many an hour in a Fenir Branch training facility most of them honing her skills while a good fraction of it was spent remembering just how to fight. This time, Alisa was not the one training but rather keeping an eye on two New-Type recruits as they got the gist of how to combat. It was an entirely new concept for her.

It also made her wonder if _Leader_ had felt like this also when she had sought him out once she returned to active duty.

With the knowledge Sakuya had given her about _Leader's_ workaholic nature and overburdened shoulders, the Russian New-Type was asking herself how he could keep going right now with all the stress from leading 1st Unit, going on special missions and now training new recruits who were definitely going to be looking up to him as a role model God Eater along with all the other newbies.

Almost anyone else, herself included, would likely crack under the pressure. As soon as that thought entered her head, Alisa scolded herself. If she was going to help _Leader_ feel less burdened, it would not do for her to be putting him on a pedestal herself.

"So, how did it go?"

Jumping at the sound of his voice behind her, Alisa had half a mind to slap him upside the head. Fortunately, for _Leader_ , the other half of Alisa's mind made her take a calming breath before turning around to face her heart's desire and was greeted with his smiling face and holding out a can of her favorite soda for her.

"Well, I know now why Tsubaki's always frowning." Alisa replied graciously accepting the offered beverage. "I only had _two_ underlings to look after and they were a handful: Annette's an all out offensive type while Federico is the complete opposite preferring to be more defensive."

"I thought you did pretty well." Yuu complimented unable to hold in the snicker from Alisa's comment about their CO.

"I doubt it. Compared to all the other instructors, I was probably pathetic." Alisa scoffed taking a large gulp of her soda savoring its flavor.

"You need to stop doubting yourself, Alisa. You taught _two_ New-Types the basics of small-class aragami combat." Yuu pointed out to Alisa wishing she would stop belittling herself just for past wrongdoings. "Unlike you, I only had to help you remember your training."

This time, Alisa was unable to rope in her temper and angrily crushed the half full can in her hand as she glared at _Leader_ who had jumped back slightly when he realised he had just disturbed the sleeping beast.

"Why are you always defending me from myself?! As the one responsible for Lindow's death, I should be allowed to decide whether to punish or belittle myself!" She snapped ignoring the contents of the can coating her hand before freefalling to the ground below.

"That doesn't make sense. You're just turning yourself into your own punching bag." Yuu pointed out.

"So what? You may be my commanding officer, _Leader_ , but you cannot tell me what to do outside of missions and aragami related matter!" Alisa threw back stepping up to the CO.

"That doesn't seem to stop you from calling me 'Leader' all the time." Yuu countered.

"That's-" Alisa started before biting her tongue to stop herself from speaking any further in fear of blurting out something more personal and private to the one person she did not want to know about it.

"'That's'...what?" Yuu asked only to be surprised when Alisa's face went from its usual pale complexion to beet red as quickly as he could switch his arc from blade to gun form.

 _[That's none of your business!]_ Alisa screamed in Russian running off before Yuu could recover from the sudden outburst.

Making a beeline for her room, Alisa stumbled through the door and slammed the button to shut and lock the door behind her wanting to be left alone while she tried to calm down after snapping at _Leader_ so fiercely. Imagine her surprise when she heard something catch in the doorway and slowly open it despite the mechanism attempting to close it.

Turning round, Alisa was shocked to see Yuu grunt as he shoved open the door wide enough to slip into her room only just avoiding losing his hand as the door finally slammed shut after he stopped holding it open. If she was honest with herself, Alisa was amazed, flattered, happy, impressed and, although she would not admit it even to herself, turned on by the fact that the man before her had not only managed to keep up with her but also practically forced open her door just to confront her.

Neither God Eater said anything for a moment, mainly due to the fact that both had ran from the training facility to the dorms and were now giving their bodies a chance to recover before continuing on with their current verbal conflict.

"You dropped something." Yuu commented before Alisa could open her mouth to more than just take in more air.

Alisa stared at the offered appendage and the familiar item it held before bringing her own hand, the one not still clutching a crushed can, to her head to confirm that she had lost her hat in her mad dash.

"Is...that all?" She asked in a quiet voice making no attempt to take her hat or even look _Leader_ in the face, let alone the eye.

"Course not." Yuu replied closing the distance between them. "I know something's bugging you, Alisa and I want to help you. But, it's kind of hard when you're always going from nice to mean quicker than Kota goes through Bugarally episodes."

Alisa shook her head as she tried to put a little distance between herself and Yuu by backing up only to be denied when she felt the wall against her back.

"You shouldn't. You've got enough on your plate already without having to worry about me." She weakly protested.

She knew she should not be telling him that she knew of the pressure he was under by peers, superiors and even his teammates but, in her current state, she could not stop herself from babbling about anything that came to mind until Yuu, not caring if coming into contact with her sparked a Resonance, took her in his arms and held her tightly. Despite her surprise, Alisa automatically wrapped her arms round Yuu's waist the crushed can finally dropping from her hand as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I know but...I can't really explain it but, whenever I see you like this, I just want to help you- to Hell with my own problems." Yuu admitted softly.

He did not know himself why he was putting her before his own troubles. Sure, he had promised Lindow he would watch out for her when he had asked a favor of him but, while that promise might explain why he had always visited her when she had took a nosedive and maybe even when she asked for his help remembering how to fight, it did not explain why he always worried about her be it a nightmare featuring her least favorite aragami the Dyaus Pita or she was upset that a teammate she was fighting alongside was lost to the aragami and she blamed herself for the loss of a fellow God Eater.

While Yuu was unable to explain the why behind he cared about her, it was still enough for Alisa to lose control of her emotions and start crying into his shoulder as she hugged him even tighter.

"Stupid Leader! Here I am trying to figure out how best to help you with your own troubles yet all you're doing is making me depend on you more than the other way around and it's making me want to either love you or hate you depending on my mood at the time!" She cried in a mixture of Japanese and Russian leaving the poor teen at a loss to what she was going on about.

"Uh, I understood maybe one word in five but...I'm hoping that was something positive about me?" He asked trying to lighten the mood and atmosphere between them.

Huffing in frustration at _Leader's_ less than impressive deduction skills, Alisa pulled her face off of his shoulder and, gathering whatever courage she still had within, admitted everything to _Leader_ with one easy to understand action.

Not expecting Alisa to kiss him so suddenly, Yuu would have probably stumbled backwards had she not been holding onto him so tightly. Relaxing into the kiss, Yuu returned the gesture and hoped that that sound Alisa made was a positive one as he repositioned his arms so that he was holding her more affectionately than comfortingly. He had no idea that Alisa was feeling like she was living a dream, a dream she oh so dearly did not want to wake up from for the rest of her probably short life given her profession.

As much as she wanted this moment to never end, Alisa reluctantly broke off the kiss so as to properly look at _Leader_ whose eyes clearly showed his disapproval at her breaking off the kiss despite attempting to look otherwise causing her to break out in a watery smile.

"I...like you and want to help you but...it's kind of hard to find out exactly _how_ to do that when you're...being your caring, responsible, annoyingly _selfless_ self." Alisa admitted acutely aware of how hot and red her face was from just saying that out loud especially to the one who had been plaguing her dreams since their first Resonance.

Surprisingly, Yuu was not as shocked as he probably should have been by Alisa's words. Perhaps he was still high from their kiss, or the kiss was still playing havoc on his mind, not that he cared either way. It was either that or, her admission had put into place all those puzzle pieces and now clearly obvious hints about why she always acted... _differently_ , one could probably call it, whenever they were together be it on a mission or otherwise.

Knowing he had to reply before the emotional girl in his arms took his silence the wrong way, Yuu kissed Alisa lightly on the lips before hugging her even tighter having no clue he had really brightened up the girl's already now brighter day. Now all he needed to do was say something which was suddenly very hard to do he noticed.

"Alisa...I…" Yuu tried to speak but, for the first time since receiving his promotion, Yuu just could not find the proper words to say to her.

Seeing how _Leader_ was at a loss for words, a rare but enjoyable spectacle to her for some strange reason, Alisa came to his aid and pulled him in for another kiss.

After all, not everything required words.

…

 _Review if possible & until next time_

 _Watch this space & peace out!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer on chapter 1_

* * *

Like being reunited with an old friend, or maybe finding something once thought lost, Yuu could not help but feel...whole, he reckoned as he picked up his finally repaired god arc finding comfort in its familiar weight. It did feel a bit weird but that was probably because of when he had wielded Lindow's god arc for one brief moment.

"Sorry it took so long to repair. Everything should be in good working order and I would appreciate it if both you and your god arc came back in perfect working order from now on with only minor scratches." Licca told Yuu as she watched the sergeant take a few experimental swings.

The comment about his arc, Yuu could understand but, hearing Licca ask him to come back safe and sound reminded him of what Alisa asked asked of him that night when they…

"You okay?" Licca asked as she watched Yuu shake his head suddenly. Was it her imagination or were his cheeks looking pinker all of a sudden?

"Yeah-course I am." Yuu replied maybe a little too quickly in Licca's opinion.

There was no way he could tell her, or anyone that he and Alisa were now together. Well, not exactly together Yuu reckoned as they had yet to properly talk about things after Alisa confessed to him the other day as he had been called up to Sakaki's office for another checkup to see if the handling of another person's god arc had any repercussions despite the incident happening a week ago now.

Ever since that afternoon, Yuu and Alisa had not been able to properly meet up and discuss things as Yuu had been stuck with training the New-Types or assisting Hibari with Operator duties which was the closest he had been to combat duty since his god arc went in for maintenance.

Alisa meanwhile had been on missions or emergency sorties whenever Yuu had free time and the teen did not have the courage to see her whenever she returned as she had a tendency to be cranky after finishing a mission and stayed that way until she had hot shower and some time to herself. Anyone who dared try to interrupt would be met with hazardous repercussions as Yuu had found out several times in the past.

"...Well, in any case, there's still a few last minute check-ups both you and your god arc need to go through before the Major will let you go back out." Licca told the New-Type getting back on topic. "I heard from Hibari that she's sending you to the Wailing Plains to take care of a pride of Vajra."

Yuu could only stare at Licca who could only chuckle weakly under his gaze. He knew he was good enough to tackle one or two solo, maybe three if he could fight them one at a time and they were far enough apart, but to tackle a pride of Vajra single handed was something even he was unsure of returning alive from.

"I've heard of diving right back into the thick of it but…" Yuu began unable to find the words to finish his sentence.

"Well, Hibari did say it looked to be only four or five tops so you should be able to handle it." Licca tried to assure the 1st Unit leader. "You might want to tell Alisa beforehand though."

On that, Yuu wholeheartedly agreed. The last thing he needed was to return to the Den after his mission barely alive only to be finished off by Alisa in one of her temper tantrums. He might love her, but that did not stop him from being afraid of her when she was pissed off, especially if he was the source of her anger. Then again…

"What are the odds she'll send me into the infirmary tonight to prevent me from sortieing tomorrow?" He pointed out shivering at the very thought.

"That's...possible." Licca could not help but agree having seen the two New-Types during a couple of their one-sided fights and had heard more from the gossip mill concerning the 'couple'. "But she could probably be more dangerous if you _don't_ tell her and she finds out from others when she gets back from her own mission."

Yuu visibly winced at the thought. He definitely did not want to go there again if past experience with the violent Russian taught him anything. If he did not tell her himself and she found out from someone else, most likely Hibari, Alisa would already be seeing red as she began hunting him down and have a real head of steam ready to blow off once she found him.

"I better go find her now." Yuu sighed putting away his god arc. Better to get things over with quickly that way he would still have time to recover before his mission tomorrow.

"Remember to pay Sakaki a visit for your checkup." He heard Licca call after him as he left the armory.

Yuu could only raise a hand in acknowledgement.

Now out of the armory, Yuu now had the troublesome task of figuring out where Alisa was and if she was doing anything. Common sense suggested heading to her quarters and seeing if she was in then, if she was elsewhere, send her a message asking her to see him at her soonest convenience.

Then there was the problem of just talking to her let alone telling her what his mission was going to be. As they had not been able to properly meet since their confession to one another, Yuu had no idea whether or not Alisa was actually being kept busy or was just avoiding him. After all, whenever the Russian girl was not glaring at him for being injured, she was avoiding eye contact while trying to keep from blushing too much although it was usually more of the former than the latter.

As much as Yuu wished to avoid the meet, even though he reckoned they really needed to talk given their last face-to-face, he knew he needed to get it over with before it came back to bite him later on in life which, knowing his luck, would happen sooner in his life than later.

Reaching the familiar door to the girl's room, Yuu wisely hit the buzzer instead of just walking on in. Together or not, he was sure she would slap him into next week for entering without permission.

" _Who is it?"_

"It's me, Yuu." The teen replied into the comm box and was pretty sure he heard something thump in the background as he spoke.

" _J-just a second!"_ The Russian girl said into the comm before shutting it off.

In the next thirty seconds, Yuu could only listen as he heard the sound of Alisa's feet as she rushed around the room mixed with the sounds of something falling over now and again as he waited for the Russian teen to finish off whatever it was she was doing.

" _Okay. You may enter."_

Yuu could not help but crack a smile as he heard the formality in her voice. As far as he was aware, they were friends and fellow New-Type God Eaters, the least she could do was relax around him.

"You didn't have to clean up just because I'm coming in, Alisa." Yuu joked as he entered her room. He had been here several times in the past so was used to seeing various articles of clothing and boxes scattered throughout the place.

What he was not used to seeing was Alisa Ilinichina Amiella fully kitted out in a red tracksuit with black highlights. Considering she usually wore short skirts and shirts that could barely contain her breasts, to see her in something that actually covered her entire body, minus the hospital gown, Yuu could not help but stop and stare at Alisa.

"W-What is it?" She asked starting to feel self-conscious the longer his eyes trained on her.

"Huh? Oh-sorry!" Yuu apologised rubbing the back of his head. "It's just strange to see you fully covered."

That was the wrong thing to say to Alisa and Yuu knew it long before Alisa's pink cheeks went an angry red to match her tracksuit as her temper flared into life.

"Excuse me?! Are you trying to say I walk around half naked all the time?!" She snapped as she marched over to Yuu causing the teen to back up in fright.

"I didn't mean it like that! It's just, you're usually wearing stuff that's more revealing!" Yuu quickly explained gulping as he felt his back hit the closed door.

"That's because it's so hot all the time! Is it a crime to wear something that's easy to move in and stay cool?!" Alisa demanded stopping right in front of Yuu who was starting to feel a little hot under the collar himself due to how close she was to him.

"If it's so hot, why're you wearing it?" Yuu asked.

"Because...because I just came out of the shower!" Alisa huffed although Yuu was sure she had just made that up on the spot.

"Hair seems pretty dry for someone _just_ out of the shower." Yuu pointed out calling her bluff as he brought a hand up to her platinum locks.

Just the sight of seeing Yuu play with her hair had Alisa's heart pounding a mile a second causing her to back away as her already red face gained a few extra shades of the color.

"This-This isn't the issue here!" She stuttered managing to glare back at Yuu as if it was his fault to begin with. "Why _are you_ here, _Leader_?!"

Again with the rank nickname. Either Alisa was still uncomfortable with them being 'unofficially' together or this was what she was now going to be calling him whenever he was in trouble. If the latter were to be believed, Yuu had a feeling she was going to be called that for years to come.

Still, now that there was some breathing room between them, Yuu managed to calm down his own pounding heart before returning to the reason he had come here in the first place.

"My god arc's finally repaired. I'll be back on active duty tomorrow." Yuu explained cautiously sitting down on the couch while Alisa remained standing with arms crossed and cheeks more pink than red.

"I see. Do you know what mission Major Amamiya's assigned you to?" Alisa asked sounding calmer than she looked.

"Uh...Vajra hunting." Yuu replied nervously trying to keep calm as Alisa narrowed her gaze at him.

"...How many?" Alisa asked slowly her tone suggesting that anything less than the truth would result in serious bodily harm for the Sergeant.

"...Four...Minimum."

Any redness in Alisa's cheeks immediately drained away with the answer she received. For a second, Yuu thought Alisa was about to faint and rose to grab her and help her sit down only to receive the Russian girl's left hand against his face.

"An _entire_ pride?! Are they crazy!? You only just got back on your feet and they're already trying to kill you off again?!" Alisa shrieked stomping around the room in a mad fury.

Yuu could only stay silent as he nursed his sore cheek. Any harder and he reckoned she might have at least knocked a tooth loose. Still, it was light compared to her usual blows so he reckoned he could count himself lucky this time.

"That settles it! I'm going to come with you tomorrow!" Alisa declared.

"Alisa…"

"Don't you dare try to stop me, _Leader_!" Alisa snapped rounding back on Yuu as he got back to his feet. "I am not going to just let you go out there on your own and quite possibly become aragami food!"

Yuu bravely stood his ground as Alisa marched back over to him. He could already see the corners of her eyes begin to well with tears signalling she was going from angry to upset and knew he had to do something quick before she started to fall to pieces.

The moment she got within reach, Yuu wrapped Alisa tightly in his arms catching her completely off-guard.

" _L-Leader_?" Alisa gasped into Yuu's shoulder bringing her own arms around his torso on instinct as heat flooded her cheeks again.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." Yuu assured her quietly.

"But...you're so important to me! I don't want to lose you!" Alisa whimpered.

Yuu wanted to argue that he was not that easy to kill but, considering he had been sent to the infirmary _twice_ in one week for critical injuries, it was easy to see how Alisa would be fretting over the risk level of his mission.

"Alisa…" Yuu gently called out to the girl in his arms lifting her chin with his hand so they could see eye to teary eye. "I promised you that I wasn't going to run from living, didn't I? I don't plan on breaking that promise any time soon."

Managing a watery smile, Alisa made to warn Yuu that she would find a way to revive him just to kill him herself only to gasp against his lips as he kissed her. And just like that, all sense of worry left her to be replaced with a desire to keep the kiss going for as long as possible.

Sadly, Yuu appeared to have other ideas as he broke the kiss and started to pull away from her something she was not having so long as her arms remained locked around him.

"Alisa…" Yuu groaned not at all liking the look she was giving him- a look that clearly said 'please stay' and 'don't go' at the same time. "Sakaki needs to see me. I only stopped here just to tell you where I was going tomorrow."

"...Fine. Then I'll wait for you in your room." Alisa grumbled before blushing a bright red as she just realised the implications of her words. "I-uh-I mean-uh-thu-that is-"

Yuu chuckled hugging her as she blushed a brighter shade of red.

"Sure. If you want. You can even wear that tracksuit, if you want." He could not help but tease earning him a shove from the highly embarrassed girl that tore her from his arms and slam him right into the door to her room. "Hey! You're the one who…"

Noticing Yuu trail off, Alisa stared at the teen in confusion only to see that his gaze was focused on something below her neck and his face was starting to turn red. It was then that she noticed there was a slight breeze dancing across her breasts and, just like that, her face, and vision, went red.

* * *

Happy that he had successfully completed his mission with excessively less reprimands from the Major and the fact that he could go visit his family tomorrow, Kota believed that an hour watching the latest Bugarally was in order.

" _GET OUT!"_

Nearly jumping a mile at the familiar voice echoing from the open door across from him, Kota almost had a heart attack as Yuu suddenly flew out of Alisa's room to slam into the door of his own then slump to the floor in a painful heap.

"Whoa! Dude! You okay?!" Kota asked as he crouched down beside his superior's aching form.

"I'll live." Yuu groaned as he got into a sitting position clutching his head.

"After all you've been through this month alone, I'm surprised you're _still_ alive!" The Bugarally fan commented worriedly as he helped Yuu to stand up. "What the heck did you do to piss her off this time? You cop a feel or something?"

Yuu could only blush in response something which Kota did not take notice of as he helped his friend and superior towards the infirmary all thoughts of watching Bugarally now the furthest from the teen's mind.

* * *

 _Long overdue but hopefully worth it_

 _Watch this space & peace out!_


End file.
